The Grant Park land grab

(my feeble photosketch, directly west of the proposed location of the Chicago Children's Museum. Probably turned into a parking garage, if the CCR gets their way)

The Chicago Tribune editorial board came out strongly against the stupidly transparent move of the Chicago Children's Museum to Grant Park. See here for back story.

Job One for the PR consultants: Chicagoans no doubt would be fascinated to hear why they think the list of 24 alternate sites compiled by Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) includes not one site that might work. Museum officials admitted last fall that they had settled on Grant Park without seriously investigating any other sites. These people know what they want: a prime location on the most sacrosanct public plain in Chicago. Plus a low-cost, sweetheart lease and an annual subsidy from the Chicago Park District to go with it.

Exploiting Grant Park so museum officials can achieve their private civic dream is as bad an idea now as it was last autumn.

[Click to read the rest of The Grant Park land grab -- Grant Park, Chicago Park District -- chicagotribune.com]

Any Chicago aldermen who vote to move the Chicago Children's Museum better think about their own wards: are they sure Daley isn't going to suddenly insist upon locating a mound of burning tires in their district?

I'm still looking for the complete list of alternative locations, but based on this Trib summary, there are plenty of places as good, or better, than the one location fixated upon by the CCM.

A few of the sites, such as the Museum Campus and Northerly Island, previously have been suggested by the alderman. But most came from open-space advocates, grass-roots organizations and "residents from all over the city of Chicago," he said.

Those locations include parcels next to Lincoln Park Zoo and the Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park; the Chicago Riverwalk at Lake Michigan; McCormick Place East; and the old U.S. Post Office that spans Congress Parkway. City neighborhoods that were suggested, without specific sites, include Logan Square and Englewood.

The editorial board also wonders if anyone at the CCM has any sense?

The Chicago Children's Museum officials who last year tried to ram a new museum building into Grant Park are back with their terrible idea. Which raises three questions:

•Why don't the museum officials—is there no voice of reason and courage in their ranks?—choose a site other than the one Chicago park that has extraordinary open-space protection against even the most worthy civic projects?

•How can the museum officials not understand that Chicagoans strongly dislike their plan to take over a part of Grant Park?

•Do current stewards of the museum not realize that public revulsion to their land grab could tarnish what in the past has been a platinum brand name?

Based on my understanding of the matter, I'd say no.--
Update:the full list of sites is here (thanks to Meta Brown). Tons and tons of good options.